Even Farther Into The Dark
by ForAslan
Summary: Anastasia is just a normal girl, if you overlook the fact that her father is Voldemort. While on the run from her father, she reconnects with the only person who ever thought of her as a friend. And maybe something more? My 1st fanfic, reviews are welcome
1. Prologue

**AN/ This is my first fanfic! Sorry about the chapter being so short, but rest assured the next chapter will be longer! Reviews welcome!**

Chapter 1

I ran down the cold, dark, stone hallways, hallways too cold for July. I felt nothing but the overwhelming need to escape, heard nothing but the slap of my sneakers on the floor, the frantic beating of my heart. I turned corner after corner, ran up stairwell after stairwell, anything to get away from **him**.

I knew he was following closely, of course he was. He wouldn't let me slip right through his gnarled, horrible hands, hands that had taken away so many lives, young and old, beautiful and ugly; no one was safe from him while he still lived. Oh how I would love to be the one to stop his terrible reign of terror, if not for the rest of the wizarding world, but for the many years he had held me in that cage. Ah sweet revenge, he would die by my hand, I would make sure of that. But not today, today my main goal was to escape, to leave the horrible place where nightmares became reality, and where the shadow master ruled.

I was wrenched out of my inner ramblings by the oncoming floor. I had tripped on the one step that I always did, the one right in front of the left south-west stairs. I lay, sprawled out on the floor, hurting everywhere but not about to cry out. I cocked an ear, listening for any sound that he was still behind me, waiting for me to get up, just to bring me down again. Like he always did.

Hearing nothing, I swiftly jumped to my feet, and began to run again, ignoring the burning wave of pain that came crashing down on me with every step. But there he was, right around the corner.

I hit him full on, and was tossed to the floor from the impact. He sneered down at me just like he always did, when I tried to escape.

"I guess you don't remember how your last little escape mission ended, and the one before that and before that. When will it get into your thick skull that there is no way to escape me, daughter? I will **always** find you, even when you think you've finally free, I will be there. To wrench you out of your little dream world. Because it doesn't matter how hard you fight, I will always fight harder". And with that, he picked up his wand and pointed the tip at me. I knew what would happen next, could already feel the excruciating pain seeping through my bones, poisoning me from the inside out.

And just before I blacked out from the pain of the Crucio he was throwing at me, I saw his face, laughing at me. The face of the most feared wizard in the Wizarding World. The face of the most powerful sorcerer, second only to the great Albus Dumbledore. The face of Tom Marvolo Riddle, known to all who feared and respected him as Lord Voldemort. The face, unfortunately, of my father. And you thought your daddy problems were bad.

**AN/ Good , bad, horrible? Tell me in the reviews!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Yay Chapter 2. This is a bit longer then the other chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

I woke up, screaming. Every night it was the same, no matter how far away my genetic father was on my mind. I would close my eyes, and let darkness take over me. I would fall asleep thinking about things that weren't even related to him**. **And I would awaken in a cold sweat, crying, screaming, and just wanting to forget. But I can't ever forget, because even after I had finally escaped, he still haunted me. I knew that he would do everything in his power to keep his promise. He would always find me. And he would drag me back, kicking and screaming, to the life I had despised.

So, here I was, sleeping in a run-down, hotel, where the cockroaches were almost as frequent guests as the people. If he ever saw me here, he would be appalled. The daughter of the Great Lord Voldemort, sleeping with bugs! That would never do! After all, bugs are the animal equivalent to muggles, mudbloods and half-bloods. But he wasn't here (thank god), and this was the only place that I could afford with my budget.

Every day I wished that I had stolen more money. I didn't have a job, besides the occasional gig at a bar, which brought me little income. One of the only things I grabbed before I left was my guitar, the one my mom gave me the last time I ever saw her. I missed her with all my heart.

Mary Alice Whittaker had met my father, then Tom Riddle, when she was 11 and he was 13. They had been the best of friends. She would comfort him when his parents fought, and he would let her cry on his shoulder whenever her diplomat father got drunk and went, well, crazy. She always knew that something was a bit off with Tom when they were young. He was always quiet and he would stare into your eyes like he could see your soul and all the sins that marred its surface. But when you got him angry, nothing short of a tranquilizer gun would calm him down, besides my mother.

And then, at the age of 16 and 18, they realized they were in love. My mother was engaged to a wealthy business man, and she knew she couldn't disobey her father. But love is love, and a few months later, she realized she was pregnant with Tom's child. She couldn't bear to bring shame on her family, so she went on with the marriage, and never saw Tom again. Five months later, I was born. I was then followed by Amanda Taylor, and Marcus Timothy and then Xavier Thomas (named for my real father) and finished with Rosalie Ann.

We were a happy family. Mother never mentioned Tom again. But she heard stories. How he turned into an absolute wreck after she had gotten married. How he turned into a monster. He became Lord Voldemort, feared by all, loved only by my mother.

We were all gifted with magic. I was the first, of course, to receive the letter that summoned me to Hogwarts, to better my magical education. But I never had a chance.

Because the night after I had received my coveted letter to Hogwarts, he came. He killed everyone, the cook and the maid. My brothers and my sisters. The father who believed with every fiber of his being that he was my creator, no matter what my mother would say to convince him otherwise. He even killed the poor, old cocker spaniel that had been with our family since before I was born.

The only ones he spared were my mother and I. Sometimes, when I was having a bad day, I could close my eyes and hear their screams, begging for mercy. But mercy came for them. They died easily. I had to suffer years of pain and torture.

The last day I ever saw my mother, we were in the large garden behind the manor, trying to beat the horrible heat that always plagued us in the summer. My mother was strumming her guitar, the only thing that he would allow her to take from our old house. It had belonged to her mother and her grandmother and so on. She had taught me how to play with that guitar. And now she was giving it to me.

"Here, take it. Seriously, you're as old as I was when my mom gave this to me. I want you to have it", she said. "But, Mom, you used to freak if I touched this without your permission. You made me wear gloves whenever I played", I teased. "Yes, but you were also 14 and prone to knocking and breaking things", she laughed. "You forgot the part about walking into things and ending up with multiple bruises on my forehead", I giggled. "Yes, well, things are different now. If anything ever happened I want you to have this", she said, suddenly somber.

I laughed at her seriousness then, but I didn't recognize the signs. The next day the maid found her, dead, in her bathtub. Her wrists were slit and there was a bullet through her head. There was a brief note explaining how she just couldn't take it anymore, how she knew that the horrible transformation between Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort was her fault.

But I knew that it had never been her. Tom had been a ticking time bomb, just waiting for something to push him over the edge, to cause him to explode. I wish she had known that before she took her life.

From then on, I hated Voldemort with a burning passion. He hadn't even shed any tears when the news of my mother's demise reached him. The only thing he cared about what that she had used "a crude muggle instrument to end her life". Never in my life had I wanted to hurt him more than I did when he muttered those words.

I shook my head, snapping out of my daydream, or nightmare, whichever way you chose to view it. A knock at the door startled me. I looked over at the digital clock on the table, the red numbers flashing in the dark. 1 o'clock in the morning.

The only people that ever knocked on my door were the owner, reminding me to check out or pay for another day. But there were only two others that would knock on my door at this hour. The first was the occasional drunk, usually too far gone to realize this wasn't their room. They usually went away if I didn't answer. And the other, I shivered, was **him** and the puppets he calls his followers.

**Ohhh cliff-hanger! Reviews please?**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

**Next chappie yay! Ha, I sound like a british person when I say chappie. British people are awesome. If you like british people you should hit the little button down there. Share the love for the brits!**

I held my breath, hoping, wishing that it wasn't him. Of course, every time after something like this happened and it turned out to be a heavily intoxicated non-magical human, I always felt stupid. I had taken all the necessary precautions. I hadn't done anything that would have alerted him of my presence in whatever motel I happened to be staying at that moment.

I closed my eyes. "Mom, please help me," I prayed silently, my heart thundering. "I don't want to go back". The knocking continued, growing louder and heavier until I heard whoever it was mumble an incantation, and the door burst open, shard of wood flying every which way.

At that moment, I knew it was over. He had found me and I would never see the light of day again. At least I had tasted freedom. He couldn't take that away from me. I closed my eyes, ready to face the Imperio Curse that he would have to use, because he and I both knew that I wasn't going out without a fight. But it never came.

I waited a couple seconds, puzzled. A voice, deep and raspy, rang throughout the room. "Child, you have no need to fret," the stranger exclaimed. He sounded, amused? This was definantly not my father. The only time he was amused was when he was torturing and/or killing someone or something. And unless he was going to kill me at this moment, it couldn't be him.

I opened my eyes, curiosity over-riding my minds warning sirens. There, standing before me was the man I had been hoping to see ever since I got my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore. He smiled at me, his eyes shining and his mouth crinkling into a smile. He spoke to me in a soft voice, full of compassion, an emotion foreign and new to me. "Please tell me that you're Anastasia. If not, I have some explaining to do". I nodded, dumbstruck.

This was the greatest wizard of all time, and he had just blown in my door! Man, this would be a great story to tell my grandchildren someday. You know, hopefully if I'm still alive by then, not blown to smithereens by my loving daddy. Maybe I should get some of the debris framed, to remember the moment.

I was snapped out of my inner ramblings by the sound of a throat being cleared. But not just any throat! The greatest throat of all time! I looked up and Albus smiled at me, like he got that a lot. "Now, dear, we should probably go before the muggle police get here. Wouldn't want to call attention to ourselves, especially not in your case," he said, reaching a hand out to help me up. I accepted it, hyperventilating on the inside, because hey I was holding the hand of the most famous wizard of all time. Thus, technically, I was holding the most famous hand of the most famous wizard of all time! I almost squealed, but that might have been unprofessional.

He wrenched me up and nodded to my suitcase laying on my bed and my guitar, which I had propped, luckily, up against my closet door. "You might want to grab that. It will take a few days to get new robes for you". I finally found my voice, "Robes? What's going on here? I know who you are but why are you here"? He answered back tersely, "All in good time, my child. But now we must leave".

As he spoke, I could hear sirens, their wails piercing through the confusion in my mind. I moved quickly, grabbing the suitcase and the guitar and its stand. I looked at him, waiting for a clue as to what to do. He held out his arm to me again, "Come, we have to hurry." I looked at him with a puzzled expression. He stared at me and let out an exasperated sigh, "I forgotten you never learned these things. We will be apperating to Hogwarts. There we'll get you all sorted out, and I'll be able to explain things in detail."

I grabbed his arm, placing my hand in the crook of his elbow, just as two men in uniform burst into the room. Right before we disappeared, I caught the look of utter bewilderment that fell upon the two officers faces.

**Remember, review if you love british people. Or scottish people. Or italian. You know what, if you like human beings then you should review.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N Yay new chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Finals are coming up and I have been studying like CRAZY. So, here it is...ENJOY!**

I was immediately wrenched through the air. This was the first time I had ever apparated, and it was not a pleasant experience. Unless you're the kind of person who finds the feeling of your entire body being torn apart at the seams pleasant. If so, then please dear Merlin take my place.

Dumbledore and I landed, well Dumbledore landed, I face-planted, at the foot of a large, ominous gate. Behind the gate, partly hidden by the forest we were standing at the edge of, was a castle. I'm not talking little princess castle with sparkles and rainbows, I mean a **real** castle. From the outside, it looked dreary and gothic. And the mist that was creeping around us didn't exactly calm me down and reassure me that this place was better then back with evil overlord daddy.

Suddenly, I heard a howl cut through the chill of the mist. "If you don't mind, Anastasia, I think it would be best if we went inside know", Dumbledore stated, smiling warmly as he reached out a hand to help me up from the cold ground. I had been so enthralled by my surroundings; I hadn't even registered the fact that I was sprawled on the ground. I grabbed his hand. He was a lot stronger than one would think.

We quickly began our journey to the castle. As we traversed through the forest, and began the ascent up a large, grassy hill, I spent a few moments breathing in the refreshing country air. I had been cooped up in endless hotels that had smelled like a fat trucker had run a marathon and then rolled around on the floor and bed in my room. As you can imagine, it was nice to breathe fresh air.

And that's when I hit the chest of possibly the largest man I had ever seen. I had been so caught up in my musings that I hadn't even seen this…..this giant coming.

He was tall, possibly seven feet, and had the girth of at least five men. His hair and beard were black as night and his eyes were dark, and squinted as he looked down at me. I should have been extremely threatened by him, but, as I looked into his eyes, I felt warmth.

"Ah, I see you've met our Gamekeeper and Care Of Magical Creatures Professor, Hagrid", Dumbledore exclaimed. He was obviously happy we had, literally, run into him. "Hagrid, this is the girl I was telling you about. Her name is Anastasia".

The next thing I knew, I was being enveloped into Hagrid's large arms. Air and light were immediately cut off. My senses were smothered by the man's large stomach. After what seemed like a life time, I was let go. I gasped for breath, trying to restore the air flow to my brain. "So you're the poor little dear Albus has been telling us about. My heart simply broke when I heard that You Know Who was your father", he sniffled.

I smiled, amused. A friendly giant huh. Well, that was a first. I watched as Dumbledore strode over to comfort Hagrid. After five more minutes, he finally calmed down enough to speak. "Well, you're here now. And that's all that matters", he told me, gruffly. He was obviously embarrassed that I had seen him cry. "Guys", I thought and rolled my eyes. "They let you see them being emotional and it's the end of the world".

I smiled up at him, knowing that he meant well. After a few hushed words from Dumbledore, which were spoken too softly for me to overhear, Hagrid went his merry way and we continued our path up to the castle.

When we finally reached the front doors, Dumbledore turned and smiled to me. "Welcome to Hogwarts", he said.

I was immediately escorted to the Headmaster's office. As we traversed the many winding hallways, filled with talking portraits and the occasional ghost and moving staircases, I felt it in my gut; this was where I finally belonged. Once we reached Dumbledore's office, I was greeted by the silent stare of Minerva McGonagall. Of course at the time, I hadn't known her name, but the way she looked at me was still unnerving. It felt as if she was trying to pierce through my heart and discover all of my secrets.

I knew that she was using Legilimency on me, and I knew that the only way to gain her trust was to let her, instead of following the natural instinct that I had built up over time and pushing her out, using Occlumency. I let down my mental walls and allowed her to see what had happened between the time I came to Voldemort and the time I escaped.

As she watched each of my most important memories rush by, I could see tears forming in her eyes. I knew what she was seeing, the beatings, the failed escape attempts, the torturing that I was both forced to receive, as well as give.

After she had seen my last memory, of Hagrid, she smiled. "Albus, you did the right thing by bringing her here" she said, in a very heavy Scottish accent. "I know Minerva, after all I am one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Believe it or not, I know what I'm doing", he replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, said Minerva, clearing her throat, "If she's to stay here, she must be sorted into a house."

I had heard very little of Hogwarts when I was under Voldemorts "care", but I did know about the houses. There were four, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Students were sorted into houses by the Sorting Hat, which must have been the worn hat that Minerva was bringing towards me.

She placed it on my head, and I tensed, not sure what to expect. Almost immediately after the hat touched my head, I heard a voice. "Interesting", it pondered. I looked up trying to figure out who had spoken. Then, I heard it again. "It would be easier just to place you in Slytherin. That's what everyone would expect. But what about you? What do you expect from yourself, girl?" it murmured.

Ah, it must have been the Sorting Hat. I quickly racked my mind. What did I want? For the longest time, my only goal was to escape daddy dearest. And now that this had come to be, I really didn't have anything to work towards. I guess, now, what I wanted most was to prove that I wasn't daddy's girl. That I wasn't a spy for Voldemort, or an evil human being. I just wanted…..normal. Which, as you can imagine in a world full of magical phenomena, is quite hard to find.

"I want to make something of myself", I thought. "I don't want to be Voldemort's daughter, I want to be me".

"You are very courageous, coming here. To escape the wrath of your father. You mean well, girl. But even with the greatest intentions, you still have to blood of an evil man gushing through your veins. Are you willing to accept your fate, no matter where it leads you?" it replied.

I thought for a moment before saying, "Yes".

It paused for a moment, before it yelled, "Gryffindor"

Dad was going to be so pissed off when he heard about this.

**A/N So there she is. I wasn't sure whether I should have put her in Gryffindor or Slytherin. But if I had done Slytherin, it might have been cliche. Maybe putting her in Gryffindor is cliche too. Either way, it will be interesting. This way, she and Draco will be a little bit like Romeo and Juliet, starcrossed lovers and all. But I am, under no circumstances, letting Draco pull a Romeo. I WILL NOT KILL OFF CHARACTERS. Ha, so that's my rant. Reviews are always welcome. They are, in fact, encouraged.**


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N Sorry I haven't updated. Life has been hectic, which sucks, since it's summer. But never fear, a new chapter is here. Thanks for everyone who has favorited my story, as well as commented. I really appreciate it._

It was August. That meant that the students didn't come back for another month. Which meant I had the run of Hogwarts to myself. The second I walked through the great doors, I felt at home. For the first time in my life, I didn't dream about being somewhere else every night.

I quickly got accustomed to life at Hogwarts. The second day after I had arrived I was sorted, and placed in Gryffindor. This surprised me the most. I had expected to be in Slytherin, or maybe Ravenclaw, but not Gryffindor. I moved into the dorms that evening, after dinner. I didn't exactly have much, besides my guitar and my one meager suitcase. But true to his word, Dumbledore ordered me robes. And of course, I was given a Gryffindor tie.

This tie meant more to me than anyone would ever know. It meant that I was finally a part of something bigger than, "Dad won't be home until morning because he's trying to take over the world. So don't wait up".

For the next month, I worked to get caught up with the sixth years who would soon be my peers. Day after day I spent, improving my magical skills, learning charms and spells. The biggest surprise of all though, was Potions. The moment I walked into the dungeons on a warm Monday morning I was given the shock of a lifetime. Which, considering the circumstances of my life, was very large.

As soon as I opened the doors, I was greeted by an unfortunately familiar voice. "You're late", growled Severus Snape. As in THE Severus Snape, my father's left-hand man, second only to Lucius Malfoy.

My mind automatically kicked into fighting gear. I swiftly grabbed my wand from the pocket of my robe and began firing off hexes and other less-friendly spells at the man who had aided my father in his nefarious plans.

As soon as he saw me reach for my robe he swung into action. He grabbed his own wand and began firing off counter-curses. This lasted for about a minute or so before Dumbledore appeared.

"Merlin's beard, what's going on in here", shouted Dumbledore. "I sent you here to learn about potions, not about spells. You already know quite enough about those."

I ran over to where Dumbledore was standing and hid behind him. "It's my father. He's sent someone to bring me back. But I won't go without a fight", I replied, feeling very hero-y.

Dumbledore looked at me, and then started to laugh. He clutched his sides and tried to speak through his hysterics. After a few more minutes, he had calmed down enough to speak a sentence coherently.

"This is Severus Snape, our Potions Master", Dumbledore told me, wiping tears from his eyes. "But this man works for my father. How is that possible?" I asked, even more confused then I was a minute ago.

"I should have told you this sooner, but it simply slipped my mind. You see, Severus is on our side", he answered, looking at me with amusement. Ok, now I was extremely more confused then I was at the beginning of this conversation.

"I beg your pardon, but I have seen this man torture and kill for my father, and you want me to believe that he is on your SIDE!" At this point, I'd had enough. I was tired of never truly being safe, of always having to look over my shoulder. "Will someone please just tell me what's going on", I shouted.

Both Dumbledore and Snape appeared shocked at my little outburst, but I needed answers.

"Well, you don't need to shout. You see, Severus is a spy. He has been working with our resistance group, The Order of The Phoenix, for many years now. He might do what your father asks him to, but in the end, he is loyal to us and us alone. Now do you understand, my girl", explained the Headmaster.

I stood there and let the information sink in. My father had trusted a spy all these years. A smile spread across my lips, as I realized that he couldn't even trust the people closest to him. "What about Lucius Malfoy?" I asked. "Is he one of yours too?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear. It's just Severus", Dumbledore answered. I was slightly less exuberant about that answer. I mean, how ironic would it be if the two people you trusted most were deceiving you. It would have served him right. But knowing that at least one of my father's most trusted followers was plotting against him still brightened my mood.

"So, let's get this straight, Snape, you aren't here to kidnap me and take me back to my father against my will?" I asked. "No, I'm just here to teach you how to brew a proper potion, without pulling a Longbottom and blowing everything around you up", he replied.

Even though I didn't know who, or what, a Longbottom was, I nodded my head. Severus clapped his hands together, and shooed Dumbledore out of the room.

"Alright, now, if I recall from the stories your father told me, Potions is your worse subject", said Snape with a sneer.

"Well, I did manage to almost escape that one time by blowing up the large amount of the west wing with that Befuddlement potion I was trying to brew. It might have been unintentional, but if I had been prepared I could have escaped before the Death Eaters had arrived. Also, if I had known that Daddy dearest had been holding an unplanned meeting with said Death Eaters, then I would have totally waited for a more opportune moment." I replied.

He looked at me for a moment. "I guess I have my work cut out for me then."He paused and sighed deeply. "Alright, by the time I'm finished with you, you are going to be top notch potions brewer".

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

By the time I had gotten out of the dungeon, it was 10 o' clock at night and I was exhausted. I had chopped until my fingers were numb, stirred until I couldn't feel my arms. I had brewed potion after potion like there was no tomorrow, which for me, you never know. I couldn't wait to jump into my bed and let sleep take over. I went through my normal before bed routine. I jumped into my favorite pair of pajamas, which happened to have llamas on them. What can I say; I'm a sucker for llamas. I walked down to the bathroom, and brushed my teeth. I had one of those awesome toothbrushes that were programmed to play music when you used it. Many a night had I been caught by one of the professors on their rounds rocking out with my toothbrush in my mouth.

But tonight I was too tired to truly put my all into letting loose and getting funky. Not even Queen's, We Will Rock You, could give me enough energy to start jamming. Just as I had finished rinsing out my mouth, something I had been dreading for months happened.

All of a sudden my head felt like it was going to explode. I knew this feeling. My father was trying to invade my mind. He had tried multiple times over the first few months that I had escaped, but ever since I checked into that crappy motel where Dumbledore had found me, he hadn't tried.

I quickly threw up my mental walls, but not before he had caught a glimpse into my mind. He hadn't been able to see where I was, but he had seen Dumbledore's face in my subconscious. He wasn't stupid. He would connect the dots and realize that Dumbledore had rescued me. He would know I was staying at Hogwarts. And he would stop at nothing until he had me back in his grasp.

He would kill everyone in the school just to get to me. And I couldn't let that happen. After all in two days, the students would begin to arrive. I couldn't have any more innocent lives lost because of me. I would warn Dumbledore. And then I would leave. I didn't want the people who had been kind to me to have to suffer. I would leave at dawn.

_**A/N: Dum dum dummmmm. **__**Now what you should is click that little green button down there and share your thoughts. I'm going to ty and update quicker next time and more reviews would definatly help along the creative process. So pretty please with a cherry on top, COMMENT!**_

_**P.S. I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. My keyboard has been being a butt lately. **_

_**COMMENT**_


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